Automatic slack-adjuster for car-brakes



Patented Mar 16, 1897.-

J, B. & H. E. DOWNING.

v 4 w n E v g 4% m 8 Z r: I! m :H H W g m M Q F G T 8 n (No Model.)

AUTOMATIC SLACK ADJUSTER FOR GAR BRAKES. No. 578,978.

rs I i= %WITNE88E8:

UNTTE STATES JAMES B. DOl/VNING AND HARRY E. DOVVNING, OF ARKANSAS CITY, KANSAS.

AUTOMATIC SLACK-ADJUSTER FUR CAR-BRAKES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 578,978, dated March 16, 1897.

Application fil d January 20, 1897. Serial No. 619,843. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, JAMES B. Do NING and HARRY E. DOWNING, of Arkansas City, in the county of Cowley and State of Kansas, have invented a new and Improved Automatic Slack-Adjuster for Oar-Brakes, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

Our invention relates to means for utilizing the rise'and fall of the car-body to automatically adjust the slack in the brake-operatin g mechanism.

111 the form illustrated in the drawings and described in this specification it consists in making the bottom rod of two parts and connecting these to an equalizing-lever, which is operated upon to change its angle, and thus vary the lengths of the bottom rod, by a bell crank lever, which is pivoted to the truckframe and bears upon the bottom of the carbody.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference in dicate corresponding parts in both the views.

Figure l is a side elevation of the device as applied to a car-truck, the truck being in section; and Fig. 2 is aplan view of atruck with the device applied thereto.

The brake-operating 'means as shown in the drawings is in the main the same as that in common use in connection with railwaycars. It consists of the brake-beams 0, carrying brake-shoes C and suspended by hangers E. To each brake-beam is connected a truck-lever B B. The upper end of the dead truck-lever B is connected by a rod D to the truck-frame. The upper end of the live truck-lever B is connected by the rod D to the air-brake cylinder or to the floating-lever operated by the air-brake cylinder. The bottoms of these levers are ordinarily connected by a bottom rod which is in a single piece. This bottom rod according to our invention is divided into two sections A and A. The

inner ends of both of these sections are pivoted to an equalizing-lever G, which is suspended at one end upon a bell-crank adj usting-lever H, which is pivoted upon a bracket I, fastened to the truck-frame F, and has its upper end bearing upon a plate J, fixed to the under side of the car-body K.

As the car-body depresses the springs S upon the reception of its load the upper end of the lever H will be forced down, which will change the angle of the equalizing-lever G, so as to shorten the bottom rod. This will take up a little of the slack and result in keeping the'slack between the brake-shoes and the wheels substantially the same.

It will be seen that the brake-shoes O bear upon the wheels NV a little below their center. In consequence of this, if there was no change in the adjustment of the rods connecting the brakeshoes, there would be m ore slack between the shoes and the wheels when the car-body was depressed by its load than when it was empty and consequently somewhat raised.

The essential idea of the invention consists in utilizing the variation in height of the car body to operate the equalizing-lever and thus to control the amount of slack. These levers may be so proportioned as to maintain the slack constant at all positions of the car-body. Our device will result in saving much time usually lost making this adjustment by hand, as is now often necessary. Our device may also be applied to any other form of brakeoperating mechanism than that shown in the drawings.

Having thus described our invention, we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. An automatic slackadjuster for carbrakes, consisting of a bottom rod made in two parts, an equalizing-lever to which the two parts of the bottom rod are attached, and a bell-crank lever pivoted to the truck-frame, said bell-crank lever being connected at one end to the equalizing-lever and having its other end bearing against the bottom of the car-body, substantially as shown and described.

2. An automatic slack-adjuster for carbrakes, consisting of a bottom rod made in two parts, an equalizing-lever to which the two parts of the bottom rod are attached, and a lever pivoted to the equalizing lever and operated by the variation in height of the carbody above the truck, to change the angle of the equalizing-lever and the length of the bottom rod, substantially as shown and described.

ISO

3. An automatic slack-adjuster for cartween said sections adapted to Vary the brakes, consisting of a bottom rod made in length of the bottom rod, and means operated two sections, an equalizing-lever connected by the variation in height of the car-body to both sections, and means operated by the above the trucks, to operate said adjustment, IS

5 Variation in height of the car-body, to vary substantially as shown and described.

the position of the equalizing-lever and the 1 I length of the bottom rod, substantially as shown and described.

4. An automatic slack-adjuster for car- WVitnesses: IO brakes, consisting of a bottom rod made in J. H. SHUBURNE,

two sections, an adjustable connection be- G. B. ANDREWS. 

